Google Pushed To Block Kids' Access To Android Porn

Last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs cited the availability of porn apps as a major advantage offered by Google’s Android platform (well, he didn’t really, but some may have seen it that way). Now, the Parents Television Council, which earlier pushed to make Apple’s App Store more family-friendly, has decided to follow up on Steve’s endorsement, and is looking at what it sees as a lack of effective parental controls on Android phones.

Ars Technica spoke with PTC’s Gavin McKiernan, who told the site that Apple still had room for improvement, and other platforms would start to face more scrutiny:

“We’re not up in arms against Apple, though,” McKiernan said. “We think there’s room for improvement, but we are definitely pleased with their response to our complaints.”

PTC also thinks other mobile platforms need to take similar measures.

PTC agrees with Jobs that [kids’ access to porn] is a problem, as no other smartphone platform offers a system like [Apple’s] Parental Controls. “We plan to draw attention to other platforms, such as Android, or Verizon’s Vcast service, that aren’t really doing anything,” McKiernan told Ars.” We definitely want to see progress from some of the other handheld devices.”

The group does hold out some hope for adults who picked Android based on Steve’s recommendation. As McKiernan told Ars Technica: “We take no stance on the ability of adults to access legal images, movies, or whatever the case may be.”